Disney News

Disney California Adventure® park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ in Florida will celebrate the premiere of Disney Channel’s new multiplatform brand, Disney Junior, with “Disney Junior – Live on Stage!” next year. The lively show in the Parks will debut with new characters, some new adventures and a new marquee.

Children and parents who now enjoy the popular “Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage!” at both Parks can look forward to sharing this new production.  This new show will bring back three favorites: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny and Little Einsteins.  It will also introduces a brand new segment based on Disney Junior’s newest series that will debut in February 2011, “Jake and the Never Land Pirates.”

“Jake and the Never Land Pirates” will air on Disney Junior in February 2011 and will share the magical and adventurous world of Never Land with preschoolers. The story centers around Jake, an enthusiastic young boy who leads a team of kid pirates (Cubby, Izzy, and their faithful pirate parrot, Skully) in fun adventures that will teach teamwork concepts.

Stories from the show will come to life in the Parks with colorful, puppet versions of some of the most popular Disney Junior characters, bright visuals, whimsical scenery that fills the stage, catchy songs and interactive moments.

“Disney Junior – Live on Stage” is scheduled to debut at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ and Disney California Adventure® park in March 2011.

From Magic Maker® Dawn Crowder

Although I love pretty much every aspect of a Walt Disney World® vacation, I have to say that my favorite part are the NIGHTTIME SHOWS! They are breathtakingly beautiful, full of great music and there’s always a good lesson behind the storyline. And who doesn’t enjoy a great fireworks show? It’s the perfect end to any day at the Walt Disney World® Resort!

I will start with my favorite regularly-scheduled nighttime show at the Walt Disney World® Resort, Wishes fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom® Park! This fireworks spectacular is shown nightly at the Magic Kingdom® Park unless there is inclement weather or another scheduled event (i.e., Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party). My favorite spot to watch the Wishes fireworks show is on the Main Street U.S.A. side of the “Hub” (the area around the Walt Disney & Mickey “Partners” statue) and near a trash can. but really anywhere near the “Hub” area and into the Main Street U.S.A. area is fine. Try not to get too close to the castle as you won’t be able to see all of the fireworks. I absolutely love taking as many pictures as I can of the fireworks shows to see how they turn out. When shooting fireworks, you have to be sure that your camera is held perfectly still. That’s where the trash can comes in. I have a twelve-inch tripod that I sit on top of the trash can. I also put my camera on the setting that will allow my shutter speed to slow down. This will allow the picture to display trails of light as the fireworks light up the sky! Watch for Tinker Bell to fly from Cinderella Castle to the Tomorrowland® area just after Jiminy Cricket says, “And it all starts with a wish!” (Although on windy or rainy nights she may not fly – Tinker Bell is not a fan of storms!) I always try to get a spot about 45 minutes before the show starts, then send my husband to get some yummy popcorn while we wait!

Next we have Illuminations: Reflections of Earth at Epcot®. This is shown every night at park closing from the middle of World Showcase Lagoon. It’s a beautiful show, bringing about a message of world peace and unity. The music is moving and inspirational. My favorite place to watch Illuminations is either from the France pavilion while sitting at the little tables near the water or in the area between the Germany and Italy pavilions. Just make sure you can see the center of World Showcase Lagoon and that the wind is not blowing in your face; otherwise, you will be fighting smoke the entire show! To get good fireworks pictures just be sure to utilized the tips given above for Wishes. I would recommend getting your spot for the show at least 30 minutes before it starts.

Lastly, there is the Fantasmic! show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios™. This is another favorite of mine. This is shown on select nights (usually about 3-4 times a week) near closing time at the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater. Because it is not shown every night, I recommend participating in the Fantasmic! Dining Package so you will be guaranteed a seat. Basically, you enjoy a delicious dinner at either Hollywood & Vine, Mama Melrose Restaurante Italiano, or The Hollywood Brown Derby and pay a set price for dinner.  You are then are given a pass for the reserved seating area. Reservations for this MUST be made in advance. If you are on the Disney Dining Plan, you can use 1 table service credit for the first two restaurants listed and 2 table service credits for The Hollywood Brown Derby. If you don’t want to do the Fantasmic! Dining Package, I would get to the amphitheater about an hour before show time, earlier if you are there during busier times. Any seat is good in this amphitheater. If you sit near the front you might get slightly wet. The theme of the show is about the power of your imagination. Mickey Mouse is the hero and the finale includes Sorcerer Mickey conquering the villains and creating a beautiful fireworks display from on top of the mountain! The villains are featured quite a bit in this show, including Jafar from Disney’s Aladdin turns into a giant snake and Maleficent from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty becomes a huge dragon. All of this takes place a good distance away from the crowd, across the water on the stage, but it’s good to be aware of these features in case you have a child who you think may not enjoy the show. Have your camera ready when you see a big white boat heading your way from the right!

A couple of other tips I would like to share for all the nighttime shows is to bring ear plugs for the little ones who may not like the loud noises of the fireworks. Also, buying a few tubes of glow jewelry before you arrive is a good idea. It will entertain the kids (and the adults!) and may save you some money as they sell various glow toys and jewelry at the shows. As I said before, these shows are my favorite part of our Walt Disney World® vacations. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

What tips do you have about seeing the nighttime shows at the Walt Disney World® Resort?
Share with them with us below in the comments.

Disney Cruise Line® introduces a cruise industry innovation on the Disney Dream™ with the debut of AquaDuck, the first-ever shipboard water coaster. Guests aboard the new Disney Dream™ can get swept away on the exhilarating high-speed flume ride which features twists, turns, drops, acceleration and river rapids. Stretching 765 feet in length and spanning four decks in height, AquaDuck uses powerful water blasters to propel guests around the perimeter of the ship’s top deck.

Computer Rendering:

Actual Footage of the AquaDuck on board the Disney Dream™:

Disney California Adventure® park is in the middle of a multi-year expansion. Due to the construction, they have had to make some changes to accommodate the growth including not being able to be host the 2011 and 2012 Disney’s California Food & Wine Festivals in Disney California Adventure® park. This was not an easy decision, but expansion work over the next two years in some areas of the park present significant logistical challenges around scheduling the hundreds of festival offerings. This work includes transforming the park’s entry plaza as well as the hub area where the event main stage has been located. When the work is completed, it will be reminiscent of the Los Angeles that Walt found when he arrived in the 1920s, complete with Red Car Trolleys. Below is a rendering that shows what the area will look like when completed.

The Cast Members at Disney California Adventure® Park feel it’s most important to ensure our park experience is the best it can be during this exciting time. After the expansion is completed and we Cars Land opens in 2012, other opportunities for special events and festivals will be explored.

Disney Cruise Line® has just unveiled the lineup of entertainment for our newest cruise ship, the Disney Dream™.

Experience some of the most elaborate original musicals presented at sea, over-the-top deck parties and, bursting above it all, the largest fireworks spectacular aboard a cruise ship.

Headlining the musical repertoire is “Disney’s Believe,” an original stage spectacular that combines a heartfelt story with a captivating musical score. Other productions include fan favorite “The Golden Mickeys: A Timeless Tribute,” featuring new musical numbers, and “Villains Tonight!” a fun-filled musical comedy starring Disney’s most famous evil-doers.

In addition to our nightly stage shows, we are re-imagining our popular “Pirates IN the Caribbean” evening with the creation of three distinct deck events:

• The evening starts with “Mickey’s Pirates in the Caribbean,” an interactive show featuring Disney characters.
• Later, Captain Jack Sparrow unleashes “Club Pirate,” a high-tech, open-air dance party.
• Of course, we’re still the only cruise line with fireworks at sea. We’ll take this distinctive Disney offering a step further with “Buccaneer Blast!” A new pyrotechnic spectacular featuring more fireworks than ever before synchronized to a dramatic musical score.

The Disney Dream™ is available to book for 2011 and select dates in 2012.  Click here to request a quote.